Satender Singh RBI Grade B Success Story: From No School Till Class 7 to AIR 5

Have you ever felt that your dream is too big and your background is too small? Let us tell you about Satender Singh, and how he cleared the RBI Grade B exam with an All India Rank of 5!

This is not just a story of a rank. It is a story of a boy who did not go to a proper school till class 7, who felt scared of English, and who tried for five long years. 

This story will give you real hope and show you that where you come from does not decide where you can go.

First, let’s go back to the very beginning of his life.

Unconventional Childhood of Satender Singh (RBI Grade B AIR 5)

Can you imagine not going to a proper school until you are in the 7th class? That was Satender’s life. In his village, there was no good school. So, a cousin brother taught him only one subject – Maths. He became very good at Maths, but he had never even heard of subjects like Science or English.

When he finally joined a school in class 7, he felt so lost. He didn’t even know what an ‘index’ in a notebook was used for! He wrote his own name there.

Does this ever happen to you? You see a subject and feel, “Oh no, I am so weak in this”? Satender felt that too. But he didn’t stop. He slowly learned everything, one day at a time.

This small-town boy with a Hindi medium background was now ready to face the world. But the world had its own challenges waiting for him.

Struggles With English and Facing IIT Candidates in RBI Grade B

When Satender started preparing, he joined Telegram groups. He saw other students writing in very good English. He felt a little scared. 

“I knew the answers sometimes, but I never replied. I was worried that someone would point out my grammar mistakes.”

This feeling got bigger when he went for his RBI interview for the first time. In front of him was a student from IIT Kharagpur, and behind him was one from IIT Bombay. He thought to himself, “Where do I stand in front of these brilliant people?”

But slowly, he changed his thinking. He told himself:

This simple thought gave him a lot of strength. Remember this, my friend. Your college or your English doesn’t define you. Your hard work does.

But this strength was tested again and again over five long years.

Five Attempts in RBI Grade B: Doubts, Setbacks, and Hard Lessons

Trying for the same exam for five years is very, very hard. Many people give up. Satender also had moments of doubt. After his second interview miss, he started to feel, “Maybe the problem is not in my preparation, maybe the problem is in me.”

This is a very sad feeling, isn’t it? When you start to doubt yourself? Let’s see what mistakes he made so that you don’t have to repeat them.

• Mistake in 1st Attempt: He tried to study everything for General Awareness. Now he suggests that you don’t do that, you need to focus on General Awareness (GA) topics that are important for Phase 2, and your Phase 1 will get cleared easily.
• Mistake in 2nd Attempt: After clearing Phase 2, he thought the interview would be easy. He didn’t practice at all. He had the knowledge but didn’t know how to present it. Never take the interview lightly.
• Mistake in 4th Attempt: This one is a big lesson. He had reached the interview stage twice, so he became overconfident. He stopped giving mocks for Phase 1 and couldn’t even clear the first stage. Overconfidence can be very harmful. 

After his 4th attempt, he was so heartbroken that he made a very big decision.

Big Decision Before Final Attempt: Leaving IIM for RBI Grade B

After failing to clear Phase 1 in his 4th attempt, Satender felt that maybe RBI was not for him. The self-doubt was very strong. He thought, “Let me change my path.” So, he prepared for the CAT exam.

And guess what? He cracked it and got a call from IIM Lucknow and Kozhikode! For many, this is the biggest dream. He had the joining letter in his hand. But he did not join.

Why?

He felt something inside him.

He realized that even if he became a big CEO after IIM, he would always have a small regret in his heart that he couldn’t clear the RBI.

So, he took a brave decision. He let go of the IIM seat and decided to prepare for the RBI one last time. 

Now, he was back on the path to RBI, but this time, he had a job to manage too.

How Satender Used His Bank Job to Prepare for RBI Grade B

Satender worked at Union Bank, and we all know how busy bank jobs are. But he found clever ways to study.

• Study in Metro: His office was one hour away. He would travel by metro. If he didn’t get a seat, he would stand and read current affairs on his phone. If he got a seat, he would practice descriptive writing on his laptop.
• Study in Washroom Breaks: He would take longer washroom breaks at the office. In those 15 minutes, he would quickly finish a small topic.
• The Kashmir Trip: For his Phase 2 preparation, he needed a long holiday, but the bank wouldn’t give it. So, he just booked a ticket to Kashmir! He went there and studied for 5 days in complete peace, with no phone network to disturb him. He says, “Those five days helped me clear Phase 2.”
• Typing Practice at Work: His job was to write long audit reports. He used this work to improve his typing speed for the descriptive exam. He saw it as practice, not work!

With this smart preparation, he was ready for the final exam day.

RBI Grade B Final Exam Day: Smart Tricks and Staying Calm

In the exam, Satender got a keyboard that was very tight. It was difficult to type. Many students would just accept it and struggle. But Satender did not. He told the exam staff, “I need a new keyboard.” They said they didn’t have one. He insisted, “Bring one from anywhere. I will start my exam only after that.”

His paper started 30 minutes late, but with the new keyboard, he finished his descriptive paper on time and even had 5-10 minutes to spare! 

The lesson? 

Sometimes, you have to fight for your right thing. Don’t be too nice and spoil your own exam.

The FM paper was tough that year. But Satender stayed calm. He used his static knowledge from the EduTap course to answer difficult descriptive questions like AT1 bonds, which many students left. For the tricky objective questions, he used his CAT preparation skills to eliminate wrong options.

He also says that EduTap’s answer evaluation helped him a lot. 

This simple idea helped him write perfect answers.

RBI Grade B Interview Experience: Confidence, Honesty, and Presence

Before the interview, he felt nervous. So, he just started walking around to calm himself. Inside, the interviewers asked him tough questions, like “Why are your graduation marks so low?” He answered with honesty and a little bit of humour, which made everyone smile.

He realized that the interviewers just want to have a good conversation. They want to see if you believe in yourself. And this time, Satender did. 

And that is the biggest lesson for all of us.

Lessons for Aspirants From Satender’s RBI Grade B Journey

Satender’s story teaches us that it’s okay to be scared. It’s okay to have weaknesses. It’s okay to take a long time to reach your dream. What is not okay is to give up on yourself.

You don’t need to be from a big college. You don’t need to speak perfect English. You just need a heart that is brave enough to try one more time, a mind that is smart enough to learn from mistakes, and a belief that says, “I can do it too.”

So, whenever you feel down, remember this boy who didn’t go to school till class 7 and is now going to the bank that prints our country’s notes.

If he can do it, so can you.